TONGA'S FLAG BEARER IS SHIRTLESS AGAIN - AND IT'S FREEZING AT THE OLYMPICS

Pita Taufatofua still doesn't need a shirt.

Author:
Martin Rogers, USA TODAY Sports

Published:
10:56 AM EST February 9, 2018

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Tongan flagbearer Pita Taufatofua upstaged his sensational entrance at the Rio Olympics in 2016 with another dramatic walk at Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium on Friday night. Once again, he showed up without a shirt.

This time the conditions were much harsher with temperatures just below freezing, not counting any wind from this notoriously breezing part of the country. Taufatofua, again carrying the Tongan flag, brought cheers from the crowd as he entered shirtless and glistening with oil -- just as he did in the much warmer Rio opening ceremony.

Flag bearer Pita Taufatofua of Tonga leads the team during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018.

Taufatofua competed in taekwondo at Rio and lost in the first round, but gained an adoring international fan base for his Rio entrance wearing traditional Tongan costume.

The experience moved him to pursue another crack at the Olympics and he didn’t want to wait another four years. So, Taufatofua quit his job as a social worker and embarked upon intensive training as a cross-country skier – undeterred by the minor fact that he had never previously seen snow.

“Every time I ski I die a little bit inside,” he said recently, highlighting the grueling nature of cross country, considered to be of the most physically demanding disciplines on the Winter Games program.

Prior to the ceremony, the 34-year-old tricked the global media by insisting there would be no repeat of his topless walk from Rio.

“I want to still be alive for my race,” Taufatofua said. “It is going to be freezing outside so I will be keeping nice and warm.”

Instead, he thrilled the crowd again, despite perhaps risking hypothermia to do so. People on Twitter lost it again.

The Olympics rings during the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Pyeongchang Stadium on February 9, 2018. (Photo: FRANCOIS-XAVIER MARIT/AFP/Getty Images)

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Flag bearer Erin Hamlin of the United States and teammates enter the stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018. (Photo: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

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USA's flagbearer Erin Hamlin leads her delegation as they parade during the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Pyeongchang Stadium on February 9, 2018. (Photo: RANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)

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The US delegation parades during the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Pyeongchang Stadium on February 9, 2018. (Photo: JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images)

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Flag bearers Chung Guam Hwang and Yunjong Won of Republic of Korea leads the North and South Korea joint team during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games on February 9, 2018. (Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

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Performers entertain during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

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Flag bearer Pita Taufatofua of Tonga leads the team during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea.

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Fireworks go off during the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Pyeongchang Stadium on February 9, 2018. (Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

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Performers entertain the stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)

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Performers entertain the crowd during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

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Fireworks go off at the start of the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Pyeongchang Stadium on February 9, 2018.

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Performers entertain the crowd during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

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The South Korean flag is carried during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

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Fireworks explode during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea.

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Fireworks explode during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea.

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North Korean cheerleaders sing and wave prior to the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea.